Attending an event about digital transformation in person might sound like an oxymoron, but the business leaders headed to this year’s fifth annual SAP Business Transformation Summit know better.
Absolutely not-your-average industry conference, this year’s Summit, which takes place in St. Leon-Rot, Germany on October 22-23, cuts through the noise to zero in on what business innovators really need to understand: what digitization is, and how it impacts business in their daily lives. The two-day agenda is replete with insightful sessions covering everything from how to exploit groundbreaking technologies to rethinking leadership skills and time management for the digital age. Interactivity rules across showcases that will feature virtual reality experiences, the Boardroom of the Future, Smart Vending Machines, and demonstrations of the power innovations like SAP S/4HANA.
Christoph Steiger, Global Head of SAP Business Transformation Services, is particularly excited about this year’s event, saying that “people will see what digital transformation looks like and how it feels to run a business in a hyper-connected world. It’s an opportunity to share experiences with thought leaders from companies that have gone through this process.”
Here’s a sample of the luminaries on this year’s agenda, including sneak previews of several keynotes:
Kerstin Plehwe, author and political analyst - Leadership in Times of Digital Transformation – Business Lessons from US Presidential Campaigns: Calling this the age of learning and adapting, Plehwe’s message is deceptively simple. Success in the digital age involves rewiring our brains to embrace change.
“Digital transformation is rapidly changing every area of our lives, and our biggest challenge is adapting our cultures, business processes and personal mindsets to that change. But people don’t like change; our brains aren’t wired that way. Yet digitization demands high flexibility and adaptability to innovation,” said Plehwe. “I’m excited about this event because I’ll share lessons learned from United States Presidential campaigns on how to lead and communicate with customers, voters and donors to generate support and funds in the digital age.”
Anders Soreman Nilsson - Digilogue: how to win the digital minds and analogue hearts of tomorrow's customer: Nilsson, a futurist and innovation strategist, will reveal the drastically new role of marketers in a world of well-educated and increasingly demanding consumers.
“When customers arrive at your doorstep virtually or in-person, their minds have been digitized and mobilized by all the rational information about your company from online customer reviews, comparisons and ratings. But people will enduringly demand and pay a lot for a good experience. Marketing and sales need to blend the digital and analog worlds.”
Prof. Dr. Walter Brenner, Professor at the University of St. Gallen - The Race for the Industrial Internet: The next battlefront from market dominance will be the industrial internet as new and established companies and partnerships disrupt industries with digital services powered by smart products.
“The combination of sensors for the Internet of Things, data analytics and cloud computing provides companies with the ability to change business models and with new services. It’s important to understand who the players are, where the opportunities lie, and the rules of the game in this new era of industrial services.”
We’re bombarded with messages about digital transformation wherever we look. But we can never underestimate the power of in-person meetings to build trust and hash out complex issues like digital transformation. Registration is still open so it’s not too late to add the Summit to your company’s transformational journey.
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